It has long been known that the growth of plants can be improved with fertilisation, that is by providing the plant with a ready source of the nutrients that it requires for growth. This is especially necessary in areas of poor quality soil which is unable to satisfactorily sustain the growth of a large number of plants. Fertilisers commonly include compounds containing nitrogen and phosphorous as well as other minerals required for plant growth, in forms which can be either sprayed on the soil surrounding the plant or in a solid form which can be directly added to the soil. It is also common for known fertilisers to contain a pH stabilising component, that is either an acid or base which can alter the soil pH, to acidify basic soil or to make acidic soil more alkaline.
A particularly common type of fertiliser which has been used in the past is animal manure which contains a large number of nutrients excreted by various animals, which when added to soil will improve its capacity to sustain plant growth. While there are significant advantages with the use of manure, in that it is cheap, easy to obtain and a useful means of utilising a waste product, its use as a fertiliser is also associated with a number of problems.
Firstly, animal manure (and human faeces for that matter) contains a large number of bacteria which contribute to the unpleasant odour associated with manure, and can also be dangerous when manure fertilisers are utilised in relation to food crops. Also, the bacteria associated with manure fertilisers contribute to decomposition of the manure and other organic matter associated with it, such that insects are often attracted. The presence of large numbers of insects can also be damaging upon the plant which the fertiliser is intended to aid the growth of, as various insects will utilise the growing plant as a food source.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved fertiliser composition which can overcome the problems associated with manure fertilisers known to date and is relatively inexpensive to produce.
It is further an object of the present invention to develop a fertiliser which can enrich soils used for plant growth and thereby enhance the growth of the plants, at the same time utilising waste manure which is high in nutrient value, but overcoming the problems of odour, decomposition and bacterial presence, which currently limit the usefulness of manure based fertilisers.